Sp. Topics 3: Digital Cities, DIY

Uitgebreide vaknaam	Special Topics 3: Digital Cities, DIY
Leerdoelen	Upon successful completion of the course, students are able to: + apply research skills, knowledge, and tools from various disciplinary domains to the study of urban culture and present their research results in effective digital forms to diverse audiences (2a, 4a) + conduct effective research on urban culture and its relationship to digital forms (3a) + produce a competent critical written reflection upon their research project and its methodology (2d, 4a, 4b).
Omschrijving	This course explores the relationship between “real” cities in the past and present and their “virtual” counterparts in the digital realm. With a base in American Studies, the course draws from multiple academic fields (including literature, philosophy, history, art history, architecture, human geography, and urban studies as well as various streams of the developing field of the digital humanities) to study this productive interface. The course also connects to and reflects on developments in American and global culture that relate to the democratization of cultural production—i.e., the “DIY” movement in its many forms—and its expression through digital tools, applications, and media. Uniting theory and practice, the course will enable participants not only to study the intersection between urban and digital culture but also to “do” it themselves. Class sessions will be divided into seminar meetings (on Mondays) and workshops (on Thursdays). The seminars will focus on the assigned readings based on the theme for that week. The workshops will be dedicated to working with different sets of digital tools to construct individual and group projects connected to the theme. Prospective themes include the historical and cultural connections between Groningen and the Atlantic World (including the USA); mapping American cities in literature (and American literature in cities); charting music, art, and fashion scenes; and hometowns and the meanings of “home.” (In collaboration with the instructor, participants may also develop their own themes for part of the course.) Drawing from the theoretical knowledge and practical skills they develop during the course, participants will conclude the course by constructing a final project based on a topic of their choice. This project may take a digital form such as a website, a video game, a mobile app, a curated online portfolio, or a podcast but it may also take other forms (e.g., an exhibition, a performance, a paper) that reflect upon the themes of the course and the digital methods employed within it. In each case the final project will include a written discussion that situates the project within its theoretical and academic context. Participants will be evaluated by the quality of their contributions to the weekly seminars and workshops (through "in-class assessments") and by their ability to integrate and express the academic knowledge from the course in the form of their final projects ("essay").
Uren per week	2
Onderwijsvorm	(2 uur werkcollege)
Vaksoort	bachelor jr 2
Coördinator	M.L. Thompson
Docent(en)	M.L. Thompson
Verplichte literatuur	Titel Auteur ISBN Prijs Open City Teju Cole 9780571279432 Douglas Rushkoff Program or Be Programmed 9781593764265 ca. €  12,00
Entreevoorwaarden	Toegang tot het tweede jaar, d.w.z. minimaal 45 ECTS behaald uit de propedeuse van de BA American Studies. NB: Voor het collegejaar 2021-2022 geldt een norm van minimaal 35 ECTS.
Opmerkingen	80% mandatory attendance in seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in discussions during the semester and to duly carry out all assignments.
Opgenomen in	Opleiding Jaar Periode Type Ba American Studies 2 semester II a keuzegroep